Semi-automatic tie table control system for a rotatable and tiltable tie table for a mid-size or big bale stack wagon

Abstract

A tie table control system comprising a programmable logic controller and a tie table control sensor array of proximity sensors provides semi-automatic control of the movements of a rearward-hinged and forward-hinged, rotatable and tiltable tie table for a agricultural bale transport vehicle that selectively tilts and rotates a layer of bales resting thereupon generally 90 degrees relative to a preceding bale layer on the bale transport vehicle to criss-cross tie a stack load of bales (a plurality of layers of bales) together into a stack load to be offloaded to a field location or to a bale storage area.

We claim: 
     
         1 . A tie table control system attached to an agricultural bale stack wagon to monitor and control the operative motions of a rotatable and tiltable tie table that receives and manipulates a layer of bales before depositing said layer of bales onto a rear-hinged stack load table of said bale transport vehicle comprising: a tie table programmable logic controller electrically interconnected to a tie table control sensor array by a plurality of input and output signal lines, said sensor array comprising a plurality of proximity sensors that interact with a plurality of respective cooperating sensor targets mounted to said tie table and said bale stack wagon to monitor tie table positions of tilting, rotating, and raising and to report via respective binary signal lines to said logic controller regarding the presence or absence of said targets in close proximity to said sensors; a tie table operator control interface box electrically interconnected to said logic controller by a plurality of input and output signal lines that allows operator selective input to said logic controller to set one or the other of two modes of tie table control as automatic mode or manual mode and to initiate or cancel a tie cycle process that controls said tie table to manipulate a selected bale layer according to programmed steps in the logic controller to rotate generally 90 degrees said selected bale layer relative to a layer loaded to said stack load table without a tie cycle being run; said logic controller electrically interconnected to a tie and rotate valve block by a plurality of control signal lines to control two tilting actuators and two rotation actuators; said logic controller electrically interconnected to a bale wagon controller to intercept and reroute a plurality of control signals, and said logic controller electrically interconnected to a bale wagon hydraulic system to control actuation of a lifting actuator and a booster strut actuator. 
     
     
         2 . A tie table control system attached to an agricultural bale stack wagon to monitor and control the operative motions of a rotatable and tiltable tie table that receives and manipulates a layer of bales before depositing said layer of bales onto a rear-hinged stack load table of said bale transport vehicle comprising: a tie table programmable logic controller, a plurality of input and output signal lines attached between said logic controller, a bale stack wagon controller of said bale stack wagon, a hydraulic system of said bale stack wagon, a plurality of input and output signal lines attached between said logic controller and a plurality of hydraulic valves that control movement of a plurality of actuators associated with movement of the tie table during use, a plurality of input and output signal lines attached between the logic controller and a tie table rotate and tilt valve block, a plurality of input and output signal lines attached between said logic controller and a tie table control sensor array, said sensor array comprising a plurality of proximity sensors and a plurality of respective cooperating sensor targets mounted to said tie table and said stack wagon, a plurality of sensor targets  324 ,  330 ,  340  mounted to said tie table and a sensor target that is a sensor target portion of a lower pivot frame  20  (preferably said sensor target portion is a generally vertical surface of a pivot plate  28  of the lower pivot frame), a plurality of input and output signal lines attached between the logic controller and a tie table operator control interface box  304 , and a plurality of input and output signal lines attached between the logic controller and a bale wagon valve block.